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NJ Aquarium's Sports-Loving Crab To Be Named After Super Bowl-Winning QB

The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers have a little something extra at stake in Super Bowl LVIII: The naming rights to a Jersey Shore crab.

A spider crab at SEA LIFE Aquarium New Jersey that will be named after the winning quarterback of Super Bowl LVIII.

A spider crab at SEA LIFE Aquarium New Jersey that will be named after the winning quarterback of Super Bowl LVIII.

Photo Credit: SEA LIFE Aquarium New Jersey
Football helmets for the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers sitting in a fish tank at SEA LIFE Aquarium New Jersey before Super Bowl LVIII.

Football helmets for the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers sitting in a fish tank at SEA LIFE Aquarium New Jersey before Super Bowl LVIII.

Photo Credit: SEA LIFE Aquarium New Jersey
A spider crab sitting in a cave with a football helmet facemask at SEA LIFE Aquarium New Jersey. It will be named after the winning quarterback of Super Bowl LVIII.

A spider crab sitting in a cave with a football helmet facemask at SEA LIFE Aquarium New Jersey. It will be named after the winning quarterback of Super Bowl LVIII.

Photo Credit: SEA LIFE Aquarium New Jersey

SEA LIFE Aquarium New Jersey, located at the American Dream Mall, said it will name a nine-spine spider crab after whichever quarterback wins Super Bowl LVIII. The male crab will share the name of either Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes or Niners gunslinger Brock Purdy.

The two-year-old crab was found in the Shark River in Monmouth County, according to SEA LIFE. When he's not picking NFL winners, guests can see the unnamed crab buried under the sand or eating shrimp, krill, and algae.

SEA LIFE Aquarium New Jersey made the crab popular on Instagram for picking New York Giants and New York Jets games earlier this season.

Starting in October, aquarium staff put two helmets in the crab's tank on a piece of turf that resembles football grass. The crab stands in the middle and whichever helmet it crawls toward is his pick.

Most recently, the crab correctly chose the Giants to beat the New England Patriots on Sunday, Nov. 26. The crab also predicted one of the regular season's biggest upsets when the Jets beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 15.

SEA LIFE said spider crabs can live for up to eight years and have a maximum leg span of a foot. Spider crabs are called "decorator" crabs because they attach debris to the bumps on their upper shells to camouflage themselves.

While the crab's name will be decided on the field in Las Vegas, oddsmakers appear to believe the crab will be named after Brock Purdy. According to DraftKings, the Niners were two-point favorites on Wednesday, Feb. 7.

Super Bowl LVIII will be at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m.

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